The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has charged senior commanders of the Nigerian Army to combine battlefield effectiveness with strategic leadership and credible communication as the military confronts an increasingly complex security environment.
Lieutenant General Shaibu gave the charge on Wednesday while declaring open the Second Senior Command and Leadership Seminar 2026 at Headquarters 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna, with a call for commanders to develop the intellectual agility, professional competence and moral courage required to lead effectively in conditions of uncertainty.
The seminar, themed “Strategic Leadership for Effective Command in an Evolving Security Environment,” brings together senior commanders and resource persons to examine emerging command challenges, share operational experiences and strengthen leadership capacity across the Nigerian Army.
According to an official statement signed by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the COAS said the changing security landscape, characterised by terrorism, insurgency, banditry, transnational organised crime, cyber threats, disruptive technologies and information warfare, demanded a new approach to military leadership.
He urged commanders to remain operationally innovative and strategically alert, while ensuring that decisions taken in the field reflected sound professional judgment and the highest standards of military conduct.
“Contemporary military success depends not only on battlefield superiority but also on credibility, public confidence and effective leadership,” Lieutenant General Shaibu said.
The Army Chief placed particular emphasis on the information environment, warning that adversaries and other malign actors were increasingly exploiting misinformation, deliberate distortion and manipulation of public perception to undermine military credibility and weaken public confidence in security institutions.
“Commanders must factor the information environment into campaign design, operational planning and the conduct of activities,” he said, adding that military operations must be supported by communication that is “timely, accurate and credible.”
He maintained that the Nigerian Army could not afford to treat information operations as an afterthought, given the ability of misinformation and hostile narratives to influence public perception of military operations.
Lieutenant General Shaibu also stressed that professional conduct remained central to the credibility and legitimacy of the Army, warning commanders that strategic communication could not repair the damage caused by indiscipline or unprofessional conduct.
“No strategic communication effort can compensate for indiscipline or unprofessional conduct in the field,” he cautioned.
He therefore directed commanders to enforce strict compliance with Rules of Engagement, respect for human rights, protection of civilians and accountability at all levels.
“The actions of troops can have consequences far beyond the immediate theatre of operations,” the COAS said, stressing that the conduct of personnel could affect the reputation of the Nigerian Army and public trust in its operations.
On the recent expansion of the Nigerian Army’s force structure from eight to 12 divisions, the Army Chief described the development as both an opportunity and a significant leadership responsibility.
He said the expansion should not be viewed simply in terms of additional manpower and equipment, but as a responsibility to develop newly established formations into cohesive, credible and combat-ready fighting organisations.
“Expanding the Army goes beyond increasing manpower and equipment,” Lieutenant General Shaibu said, noting that the values commanders promote, standards they enforce and leaders they develop would determine the effectiveness of the new formations for years to come.
He urged senior commanders to focus on building cohesive teams, developing successors, empowering subordinates, promoting innovation and strengthening engagement with communities and legitimate stakeholders within their Areas of Responsibility.
The COAS further tasked participants to ensure that lessons from the seminar translated into measurable improvements in command, campaign planning, operational effectiveness, mentorship and institutional performance.
He expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, for his continued support for the Nigerian Army, particularly in personnel welfare, operational capability development and institutional transformation.
Lieutenant General Shaibu said the recent approval for the expansion of the Army’s force structure demonstrated the President’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s defence architecture and improving the Army’s capacity to respond to evolving security challenges.
Earlier, the Chief of Training (Army), Major General Valentine Okoro, described the seminar as a critical capacity-building platform for strengthening the competencies of commanders at the operational and strategic levels.
Major General Okoro said realistic, progressive and mission-oriented training remained central to transforming the Nigerian Army into a professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient force capable of discharging its constitutional responsibilities within a joint and multi-agency environment.
In his welcome address, the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Abubakar Wase, described the seminar as timely, noting that the changing character of warfare, asymmetric threats and rapid technological integration required resolute ethical leadership and strategic foresight.
He urged participants to use the seminar to develop practical solutions that would strengthen formations, improve decision-making and enhance the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army.
The seminar is expected to provide senior commanders with an avenue to examine emerging security and leadership challenges and develop practical approaches to strengthening command effectiveness across the service.
